diff --git a/apps/x/packages/core/src/runtime/assembly/spawn-agent.test.ts b/apps/x/packages/core/src/runtime/assembly/spawn-agent.test.ts
index 7ac176d8..f6440301 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/core/src/runtime/assembly/spawn-agent.test.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/core/src/runtime/assembly/spawn-agent.test.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ function parentCreated(
             config: {
                 autoPermission: true,
                 humanAvailable: false,
-                maxModelCalls: 20,
+                maxModelCalls: 50,
             },
         } as z.infer<typeof TurnEvent>,
     ];
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ describe("runSpawnedAgent", () => {
                 model: { provider: "parent-p", model: "parent-m" },
             },
         });
-        expect(started[0].maxModelCalls).toBe(20);
+        expect(started[0].maxModelCalls).toBe(50);
         expect(started[0].signal).toBe(signal);
         expect(progress).toEqual([
             { childTurnId: "child-1", agentName: "researcher", task: "find things" },
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ describe("runSpawnedAgent", () => {
     it("rejects a model-call budget above the cap at the schema boundary", async () => {
         const { services } = fakeServices({});
         const result = await runSpawnedAgent(
-            { task: "t", instructions: "x", max_model_calls: 50 },
+            { task: "t", instructions: "x", max_model_calls: 51 },
             { parentTurnId: "parent-1", signal, services },
         );
         expect(result.isError).toBe(true);
diff --git a/apps/x/packages/shared/src/turns.ts b/apps/x/packages/shared/src/turns.ts
index 9a6c14cc..424ff38b 100644
--- a/apps/x/packages/shared/src/turns.ts
+++ b/apps/x/packages/shared/src/turns.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import { ReasoningEffort } from "./models.js";
 
 export type JsonValue = z.infer<ReturnType<typeof z.json>>;
 
-export const DEFAULT_MAX_MODEL_CALLS = 20;
+export const DEFAULT_MAX_MODEL_CALLS = 50;
 export const MODEL_CALL_LIMIT_ERROR_CODE = "model-call-limit";
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------